A collection of newsworthy information as reported from newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

"You didn’t elect me to do what was popular," Obama said. "You elected me to do what was right."

IF they would just take a look at the FACTS instead of continuing to play American Idol with our political system! It would be nice if voters would stop blindly trusting the r...hetoric and simply returned to the practice of seeing what our representatives have actually DONE:

I think it's one of the best of its kind that I've seen so far, because it speaks in the same language that (apparently) most American voters seem to use when thinking about candidates. It also shines a pretty bright light on just how giant the partisan divide in our culture has become; as the author said, it wasn't until the facts were presented without the party clearly attached to them that his friends were able to seriously consider them. Sad really.

Even though the 111th Congress has enacted the most laws since the '60s, voters are not impressed. Read more

Clinton offers advice to Obama: go sell your plans

President Bill Clintonurged President Obama to take his 'story' to American voters and make a more rigorous case for what his administration has accomplished and what they plan to do to spur economic recovery and job growth. President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress have fought to repair a decade of damage and grow an economy that strengthens our country and middle-class families, not just today but over the long run.

Working with the President, Democrats in Congress helped prevent a second Great Depression and put our economy on the road back to recovery. They stabilized the financial system, and by standing up to insurance companies, big banks and credit card companies established the strongest consumer protections ever. And with the help of grassroots supporters across the country, they were finally able to make real the ideas that every American should have access to affordable health care, no one should be denied coverage because they get sick or have a pre-existing medical condition, and no one should go bankrupt just because they get sick.

DEMOCRATS: MOVING AMERICA FORWARD

Democrats invested to rebuild America's roads, bridges, rails, and ports to build private-sector jobs in communities across the country.

Democrats made college affordable for millions of students by eliminating subsidies to banks.

Democrats ended insurance company abuses, including the practice of denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. It's already helping millions of Americans get better, more affordable care and is helping make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.

Democrats provided new tax credits and loans to create clean-energy jobs right here in America and proposed tough reforms that would ensure oil companies are responsible for their actions.

Democrats have fought to change the ways of Washington —pushing for ethics reform that would keep our elections fair and limit the influence of big corporations.

The more the Republicans hold hostage this plan for tax relief for millionaires, the more voters appreciate whose side they are really on. Voters unhappy with the recession are inclined to vote against the incumbent candidate, but so many of the Republicans are so crazy that voters may think twice about voting for them. The Tea Party is no longer that different from the mainstream Republican Party, and it doesn't speak for most Americans.

He has begun smoking out Republican inconsistency and hypocrisy on issues like regulation of banks, where the GOP tries to be anti-Wall Street but also anti-regulation. And how can the right be in favor of both fiscal discipline and tax cuts for the rich?

The Republicans have already effectively nationalized the 2010 mid-term election, portraying it as a referendum on Obama. But the president, even with popularity ratings of around 45 percent, is more popular than most politicians. And if he can smoke out Republican ideas, most voters will notice that they agree with Obama more than they agree with John Boehner and the GOP. .

Most voters begin to pay attention to mid-term elections only after Labor Day. It took Obama too long, and he still is not quite in high gear, but he is beginning to sound like the guy a lot of us voted for. More, please.

We’ve already seen headlines clamoring, “Poverty Goes Up on Obama’s Watch.” In reality, though, these trends would have been significantly worse without the administration’s leadership. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was a bold step, saving or creating 1.4 million to 3.3 million jobs, according to analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The Recovery Act also focused on combating poverty: An analysis examining just seven targeted provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act found that they kept more than 6 million additional people from falling into poverty last year. And initiatives President Barack Obama championed such as health care reform and the recently passed consumer financial protection agency will ultimately help millions more families achieve economic security and expand the middle class.